A Familiar Situation
by Fluehatraya
Summary: [AU] Poisoned by Apoptoxin-4869, Kudo Shinichi ended up turning into a cat instead of regressing in age. Found by none other than a witch, he finds himself in the unfamiliar situation as her familiar.
1. Enter a Cliché Story Idea

**Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.**

A Familiar Situation

Chapter One: Enter a Cliché Story Idea

Shinichi stumbled as quickly as he could down the sidewalks, his screams wrenched as panicked yowls from his throat.

_No, no, no, this could not be, it couldn't! This wasn't possible!_

This was the only thing that dominated his mind as he progressed falteringly, and had since he had first woken up to find himself in dark cloth confines and incapable of standing. When he had writhed his way free, what the teen had found was very unsettling: he was much shorter, and his legs had become unusually jointed and covered in a feathery coat of thick fur. Further inspection, disbelieving in the way that he hoped it was a bad trip from the drug he had been force-fed, revealed that the rest of his body as far as he could see was the same, complete with an _extra appendage that he refused to acknowledge as a tail_.

Shinichi came to pause in front of a storefront as the exhaustion from his exertion finally hit him, the adrenaline that had been fueling him ebbing away and leaving his limbs leaden and heart trembling in its wake.

Unfamiliar legs (_four!)_ giving way, the once-boy collapsed, body slumping against the side of the building he had stopped before. Shinichi rubbed a cheek against the cool glass of the massive window on which he was leaning, holding it there to let the cool surface provide relief; albeit the night was cold, he felt too warm beneath his new fur, overheated from his awkward falling-running.

After regaining mostly his breath, Shinichi straightened himself before settling on his haunches, wincing as his tail – no, _the_ tail, as it certainly wasn't his – swept to curl around one of his sides and cover his paws. _Paws_.

This had better just be a bad trip. Not that Shinichi had any personal experience regarding recreational drug use to know what one was like.

Shinichi lifted a forepaw, the sensitive pads covered by long tufts of fur that had kept them somewhat protected from concrete and asphalt despite the lack of callouses. First wiggling the toes on this paw, the not-cat then unsheathed his claws, which was an unfamiliar but not unsatisfactory sensation. His recent thought forgotten, he repeated the motion a few times before recalling what it was that he had wanted to do.

A moment of recollection and the detective-turned-cat placed a claw against his leg and dragged it through thick fur and across the skin beneath. Hissing at the ensuing pain, Shinichi wrenched his paw away, staring at the blood beaded on his claw.

Alright, so this wasn't a dream.

Retracting his claws, Shinichi turned to the shop window to his right, startling blue eyes with little sclera and impossibly large pupils staring wide-eyed back at him from a feline face, sharp angles and sweeping contours veiled by the fur that fanned out from his cheeks and trailed like a beard from his chin to form a ruffled appearance similar to an ascot fluffing out. The fur was similar on the rest of the body, save for the crown and a side of his head, which was plastered into mostly-flat spikes with drying blood.

He was a cat. To be more exact, he was a very fluffy cat, with fur so black that it was difficult to distinguish from the night gloom in the dark windowpane. The only good thing about this situation was that he was not dead like he should be.

Then again, he was a cat. He really shouldn't be a cat. For that matter, he must have broken some scientific law when he turned into a cat.

Somehow Shinichi couldn't find it in himself to panic anymore. He was tired, confused, and in an unfavorable situation. He needed to assess the situation and find out where to go from here.

Unfortunately for the altered detective, he did not even get the chance to start before something wrapped around his stomach and swept him onto his back. Releasing an alarmed cry in surprise, Shinichi flailed his limbs – _he was falling!_ – until he found himself safely ensconced in some sort of hold. Taken aback by this sudden turn of events, Shinichi ceased his struggles and folded his limbs close into his body. Looking up, he was met by a face, which was frighteningly large taking into account Shinichi's new form, craned downwards for a better view at him.

A female teenager, pale-skinned with red eyes and hair that a passing vehicle's headlights revealed to be not black as first impression had suggested, but in actuality a very dark red with a brighter sheen when hit with light. All this Shinichi had catalogued in a moment. (In addition to the fact that it was strange he could make out the unusual color of her hair and eyes in the first place, since he had thought cats unable to see reds.)

Great, he was caught by a _girl_. He knew what girls did to cats! They hugged them, called them stupid names, and even forced them into the most ridiculous outfits ever! Worst of all, took photos of them for terrible internet memes!

Shinichi _refused_ to be made into a stupid internet sensation. No way, no how!

Crinkling his muzzle and furrowing his brow to give what he hoped was the most evil glare he could possibly produce in this body, Shinichi hissed menacingly and unsheathed his claws once more. He would prefer not to scratch a girl (having had too many cases involving retrieving a wayward cat when young, the high school detective was all too familiar with how painful they could be), but he would if dissuasion wouldn't work.

For that matter, Shinichi was just working at squirming his way out of the unwelcome grasp when he stopped, an inhalation bringing in the girl's scent.

Shinichi had noticed it in the back of his mind during his flight from the scene of his transformation, but being a cat had introduced him to a whole new perspective concerning smells. Now though it was blatantly clear, and it was difficult to articulate how this girl smelled in particular. If he had to put words to it . . . it was like bitter herbs cast into a fire; recently shed snakeskin; strong incense that could not quite mask a smell reminiscent of rot; and underlying this was something that he had never experienced the likes of before, something teasingly near-palpable that tingled in his mouth and nose like stars before sparking over his skin. It was a sensation unto itself.

Transfixed, he had not noticed that he had relaxed and been shifted into a more comfortable position until a small hand ran itself across his back, the long svelte fingers carding through his fur with the manicured nails grazing his skin in heavenly scratching motions.

"You're definitely not a stray," the girl said to him in a low voice. Shinichi ceased his purring (and when had he started in the first place? He realized with mortification) to twist his neck around to glare at her once more. He was not a pet!

She only snickered at his look.

"Of course, I did not mean to imply that you're owned; no cat is, although mortals are fools to think so," the red-haired girl reassured Shinichi.

Mortals? The not-cat wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not by who had picked him up. It didn't seem like the girl was interested in owning him, if her comment was anything to go by, but at the same time she appeared to be suffering from delusions of a sort, which did not comfort him considering that he was in her arms. For all Shinichi knew she was a budding serial killer.

"That being said though, you do make for good familiars. Much easier to take care of than snakes, and to take places also. That is a mistake I will never make again. Alas, poor Yorick."

Familiars? Snakes? Shinichi couldn't help it; working a foreleg free he facepalmed (facepawed? Facepadded?) before trying to free himself from her hold once more. His efforts were squashed as the teen only tightened her grip on him.

"Now stop that, you should be honored that a witch of my caliber would consider you a worthy familiar; though it is true that black cats such as yourself are especially powerful concerning black magic, the only reason I even noticed you was that strange magic I felt."

Magic? Now this was just ridiculous! He needed to get away before she tortured and killed him! Struggles intensified, Shinichi was almost free when a chill washed over him, followed by his muscles seizing up (well, that was not quite true; his organs still seemed to be functioning fine) and refusing to budge even just a millimeter. _What was happening? Why could he no longer move?_

"Stop being so rude!" Shinichi's captor snapped, moving an arm from where it held him so that she could flick him sharply on the nose with a finger. Had Shinichi been capable of moving he would have bitten her, girl or not.

"Now, this might feel a little strange, but it will not harm you."

No, Shinichi was not reassured by this at all, not when she had already done something to him that robbed him of movement.

Incapable of protesting with so much as a mewl, he attempted to brace himself for whatever was to come – only to flinch internally as that whatever was something he had never before experienced (which certainly fit with the rest of the mess his life had become so recently).

The _energy_, or _power,_ or even just _sensation_ – whatever one wanted to call it – seeped in through Shinichi's pores like warm butter, only burrowing hungrily into him before it sank into his muscles and scuttled across his bones like an onslaught of spiders. It scurried rapidly throughout his body, finding its way into the bloodstream and infiltrating it. Shinichi gasped inside at the sensation, effervescent like sea spray or carbonated soda, before it brushed against something already there, something that had not existed to Shinichi's knowledge.

It was angry and bristling, cold and blue, shadowed and, for lack of a better word, smelling of petrichor. Something bright red and tasting of acrid poison was latched onto this first part of it, stretching across like a growth of crystals. It . . . just _it_, appealed to the senses in a way that it shouldn't, for even now Shinichi could feel_ its_ lack of tangibility.

The first sensation receded, ebbing out like waves as low tide neared. And then he could move. Shinichi blinked, shaking his head and blinking upwards at the girl bemusedly. She too appeared startled.

"You _are_ the most unusual specimen I have come across, disregarding Kuroba. As I thought, you do have a curse on you, though it is not of human origins. What I did not expect was that your magic may be feline, but it acts much more human-like than anything else. This must be why you did not sense me before."

Magic. Could it possibly be?

In any case, Shinichi did not like the predatory look that the girl (witch?) had adopted as she withdrew from her thoughts to fix him with a broad grin.

"A cat with the ability to control their magic like a human! I could not ask for a better familiar!"

"No!" Shinichi wanted to yell, but instead all that came out was a loud meow. Before he could think of using his returned control over his body to escape the girl was already carting him off down a nearby alley. Finding a crate with tall sides she maneuvered it with her feet and the hand not clutching the cat tightly close to her until it opened at the top. She placed Shinichi inside and then set down the bag she'd had slung over one of her shoulders the entire time, opening it up and rummaging through it while Shinichi scrabbled to climb out of his newfound confines futilely with his still awkward, and much smaller, new body.

"Aha!" Shinichi was not paying attention to the witch, preferring to focus on his current dilemma. Escaping her could be focused on after escaping the box.

"I, Koizumi Akako, heiress of the Scarlet Arts, declare upon my magic that this feline is my familiar, with the shedding of my blood in which my magic resides so mote it be." A metallic flash from the girl's – Akako's – direction brought Shinichi's attention back to her, just in time to see a hand with a bleeding cut in the palm reach over and grab him by the scruff of his neck. The other hand held a knife – a boline, he would later find it was called – faintly illuminated by a streetlight beyond the opening of the alley. A couple drops of blood dripped from its blade.

She held Shinichi steady, pinning him still her hand and arm pressing against him. Shinichi squeezed his eyes shut.

_So long world, it was nice knowing you as a human._ A second thought occurred to him. _Sorry Ran, that I never returned._

He felt the knife slice across his scalp, followed by a hand pressing across where it had cut.

"By the magic residing in our blood, the pact of witch and familiar is formed with the intermingling of our blood, so mote it be."

The hand lifted off of his head. After feeling nothing but the slight sting of the incision made, and that strange power that had invaded his body before seep into him much more soothingly than before, Shinichi dared to open an eye. Akako, who was crouched before him, smiled and quickly lifted him out of the crate, setting him down on the ground outside it.

"See, that wasn't bad at all! You should be honored to have such an opportunity as serving under I, Koizumi Akako of the Scarlet Arts!" Akako started laughing, on the verge of obnoxious.

Shinichi was just about to bolt when she said something that stopped him.

"After teaching you how to speak you will become a very valuable familiar, I feel."

The teen-turned-cat froze with a leg still lifted in the air. Could she do that? Could magic allow a cat to speak as a human?

Lost in the possibilities, Shinichi acquiesced to following Akako out of the alley, albeit he made disgruntled noises and pouted as best a cat could when she picked him up once more, this time being carried away off the street.

Well, this was better than nothing. He would be getting a home and all the trappings that came with it, so perhaps this was more conducive to his goals in the long-run than other circumstances would have been. He had been meaning to assess the situation, after all. Not to mention what else was he supposed to do? Try to get into his house, realize the difficulty of it, and then somehow convince Agasa-hakase that he was Shinichi?

Yeah, no. Who would believe a cat, even if he could communicate? It was a preposterous idea. As preposterous as magic, Shinichi reflected, but if he could be turned into a cat by some sort of shady poison then why should he rule out actual magic? In fact, considering the witch's mention of the 'curse' on him, perhaps the poison itself was magic.

Alright, so maybe Agasa-hakase would believe it with a little prodding, but it still wasn't a viable option.

Exhausted from the long day with all its hectic occurrences, Shinichi found himself falling asleep as he was carted off to his new home. Or rather, base of operation as he preferred to think of it as.

End Chapter One

**A/N: Yeah . . . this came from the fact that there are several "*insert character* turns into a cat" stories across many fandoms and most of them don't seem to have a plot or take things in an original direction. So this is a reaction to those fics. No offense to people who have written them, and I have found a few that I've enjoyed.**

**Decided to continue this by popular request, have some plans written up, but they will definitely need to be changed here and there. Please read and give me your feedback, I honestly take it into consideration!**


	2. Enter Pluto

**Disclaimer: I own neither Detective Conan nor Magic Kaito. And nobody owns a cat.**

A Familiar Situation

Chapter Two: Enter Pluto

Shinichi was carried all the way to Akako's house, arranged surprisingly comfortably in her arms. At some point the adrenaline from the many shocks that night had ebbed away, leaving him feeling ragged. He ended up falling asleep before reaching what was to be his new home.

The teen boy-turned-cat awoke to the breaking of daylight, and some feline instinct in him prompted him to rise to his paws and stretch languidly, arching his spine and digging his claws into the soft surface beneath him with delight. Coming out of the motion, Shinichi sat upon his haunches and lifted a paw to rub the last of the sleepiness from his eyes before opening them.

Almost immediately after doing so he fell backwards in surprise, uttering a strangled mewl of shock and indignation. There were many things that Shinichi did not like, such as being a cat, and waking up to a hideous face larger than life and way too close to comfort was definitely one of them.

The goblin-like face was scowling at him, as if Shinichi had done him some sort of injustice by merely existing.

"I don't see why Mistress Akako would need a familiar when I have been serving her family for generations." The man grabbed Shinichi by his scruff and dangled him at arm's length from himself. In response, Shinichi yowled and flailed his limbs, attempting to twist out of the unwelcome grasp of someone who clearly had a bone to pick with him.

"I should just drown you now," Shinichi involuntarily stilled as his blood froze, "or better yet, skin you and have you for supper tonight."

Broad, chapped lips peeling back in an unpleasant, toad-like grin, the stout man bared his teeth at the cat. All of them were unusually large and, save for some that bore a striking resemblance to tusks, flat in a fashion that suggested they would be especially good at grinding things, such as the flesh and bones of small felines.

"Perhaps boiling you alive will do the trick."

As the man spoke he brought Shinichi closer to him up at face-level, until he could smell his rancid breath and the unpleasant, visceral scent that wafted off of his skin. Shinichi snapped. Lashing out, he scored with his claws the wide face. Relinquished without warning, the cat dropped to the ground and just managed to land on his feet before twisting away immediately upon impact, the howled curses of his aggressor resounding in his ears like nails dragging down a chalkboard.

Though not familiar with his present environment, Shinichi ignored that in favor of the short-term goal of just surviving as a shoed foot came down upon him. Skittering out of the way, the not-cat frenziedly weaved his way through furniture in a dizzyingly too-large world without a clue as to how he would escape this predicament. He stopped when he collided headfirst with a pair of slim legs, so suddenly that it dazed him.

"_Rufleleghid!"_ an outraged voice that was as sharp as a knife cut through the air. The unsavory man, Rufleleghid, abruptly stopped where he was before snapping to attention. Sweat pearled upon his brow as he bowed low to his mistress, who had arrived on the scene with a furious expression and carrying something red in one of her hands.

"Mistress Akako, I was just–" he sputtered, but promptly shut up, whether of his own accord or out of magic, as the witch cut him off.

"Silence! I will not tolerate you antagonizing my familiar! You are to treat Pluto as you would I." The authoritative tone was underlined with a promise of pain should they not be heeded, and Rufleleghid humbled himself even further.

"Yes, Mistress Akako," he said quietly, though Shinichi's now acute hearing caught it, along with a whiff of something sharp and pungent. _Fear_, something told him. The cat couldn't help it, his human mind combined with his new mouth to form a strange smirk – which was distinctly not cat-like and unnervingly evil all the more so – at the servant's reaction. It didn't break even as Akako tucked the object she held into one of her socks – having no other place to store it on such short notice – and scooped him into her arms.

"Sorry for that, Pluto; it must have been quite a fright! Rufleleghid will get his due punishment, don't you worry," Akako reassured Shinichi, who sent her an inquisitive look at the name. The witch proved to be good at reading his nonhuman expressions, for she responded as if he had vocally asked.

"Yes, that is your name by which I and others may call you. As a magical creature you must jealously guard your true name once you learn speech, for should an individual hear you utter it aloud then they will hold power over you; just as I did with that goblin." The girl's mood became somber at this, and she affixed her familiar with a stern look that conveyed how serious she was. Before yesterday, Shinichi – or rather, Pluto – would have scoffed at such occultist beliefs, but now he couldn't help but take heed of his "mistress'" warning.

After all, "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," and as far as "Pluto" was concerned, turning into a cat and what he experienced when he first met Akako definitely fit into the realm of magic. If such things were possible, why not magic as a whole?

It was still a lot to wrap his head around, regardless.

"I was actually considering naming you Mr. Fuzzy-Cuddles, but decided that wasn't dignified enough for my familiar."

Choking in shocked horror at what could have been, his train of thought was abruptly derailed.

_Yes_, Shinichi thought weakly, _I'd take Pluto any day over _that.

As Akako turned on her heel to stride out of the room Shinichi had woken up in, he swiveled his head to see that it was a parlor that looked slightly disused despite how well-maintained it was. Muted red wallpaper with a golden foliar design covered the walls, complimenting the spindly neo-gothic furniture made of dark wood that Rufleleghid was currently righting after his confrontation with the cat. The detective's eyes, however, lingered on the tall bookcases lining the far wall, very few of the books declaring any titles on their spines.

His short assessment of the room finished, he started looking around the hallway. Oil portraits covered the walls. Akako would sometimes stop at one and tell him something notable about the person they depicted, most of them being a magical ancestor or relative of hers. Shinichi's nose crinkled with discomfort at the way their eyes seemed to follow his and Akako's progress, and he had to clamp his mouth shut, lest he give in to the unfamiliar itching desire in his throat to hiss.

So far Shinichi hadn't seen much of the house, but from what he could tell it was large enough to rival his own. His wits recovered, he looked down to the lacquered hardwood floor, which seemed a much greater distance than it should be. Still, he was a cat, so he should be able to make it.

Getting his legs out of Akako's hold was another issue entirely, and he stopped trying after a few minutes.

"You don't like being held much, do you?" It wasn't a question. Shinichi's responded with a swish of his tail and a deadpan stare.

"Well, we're going to have to find an alternative, since you can't just try to keep up on foot all the time." Shinichi huffed sulkily, knowing that if he was human he could doubtlessly outpace the teenage girl, taking into consideration his athletic ability and longer legs.

The two entered what appeared to be, in stark contrast to what Shinichi had seen of the house (or rather, manor) thus far, an ordinary kitchen. It was complete with fluorescent light bulbs instead of the candles that Akako seemed to prefer, and had a much more modern look overall.

At the small kitchen table there were already two places set, and the black cat was set down on the table in front of the one with only a single plate and a small bowl. Fish and water. A careful sniff of them on Shinichi's part confirmed they were exactly what they appeared to be. He hadn't even been thinking of eating, but if he had then he would have thought the meal would have consisted of something along the lines of poison and rats.

Thankfully, it seemed even witches held to more mundane diets, as a glance at Akako's food revealed that it was just what he would expect for breakfast. His gaze lingered on her meal, which was what he would have preferred to eat, but then his hunger kicked in and reminded Shinichi that it had been several hours since the last time he had eaten.

Needing no further prompting, he ravenously dug into his simple breakfast, ignoring the indignity of having to eat with no utensils in favor of sating his appetite. Drinking was a surprising hassle, but recalling memories of having observed cats, he managed to work out how to twist his tongue into a bowl and lap the water up with it.

Finishing quickly, the human-turned-cat swiped his tongue around his mouth to catch any morsels he may have missed as he watched Akako eat at a much mellower pace, idly noting that she wore the female uniform for Ekoda High School. While waiting, his thoughts wandered back to his predicament, and the better mood he was feeling as a result of a full stomach was quick to dissipate.

He was a cat, magic was real, and he still had no clue what being a familiar – a role he had been forced into – entailed. Could magic return him to normal? She had said he was cursed, and it wasn't even of human origins at that; if there was a way to change his body to that of a cat, then why not one back to human also? Surely there was no reason why that wouldn't make sense.

Besides, Shinichi refused to even consider the possibility that he'd be stuck like this forever.

Worry started gnawing at him, making the food he had just eaten sit heavy and slightly unsettled inside. What would people make of his disappearance? Was he going to be proclaimed dead? He did have a tendency to run off without warning, a trait he fully blamed on his parents' influence (or perhaps the lack of), but that wouldn't explain why he'd abandon everything he was wearing at an amusement park.

Shinichi groaned loudly, the sound coming out as a strange 'mrrrr' that earned him an unnoticed look from Akako. _Great_, now people were going to think that he was either dead and his body dragged off to who-knows-where for who-knows-what, or that all the murder cases had finally gotten to him and that he was now running nude and out of his mind through the streets of Beika.

At least being a cat was better than those two scenarios. Somewhat.

He had to–

A strong tap to his head distracted him, and Shinichi glared at Akako. When was he ever going to have time to just sort through his thoughts?

"Come, Pluto, I have school today," she said. The witch went to school? That seemed a bit tame for a person capable of screwing with the laws of nature on a whim to be doing.

When she remained standing before him expectantly, Shinichi emulated a shrug with his shoulders and cocked his head to the side. What did she want?

"You're coming with me," Akako clarified, and Shinichi didn't even bother holding back from spitting angrily at her as she lifted him without so much as a 'by your leave' once more. He was not an object to be manhandled as pleased!

Realizing that she couldn't pick up her schoolbag when her hands and arms were occupied by the fluffy black mass she held, Akako shifted Shinichi up to her left shoulder. He tentatively stepped onto it, and when she moved to take her bag he managed to grip with his toes and refrain from digging his claws into her. He doubted she'd like that, and Shinichi still wasn't sure if witches ate only like humans, or if she'd let Rufleleghid have his dinner of cat after all.

"Can you remain there?" she asked as she started walking out of the kitchen and towards the foyer. Shinichi nodded with a meow of general affirmation as he shifted his position a bit, finding a way to relax somewhat on his perch.

Trusting Rufleleghid to take care of the manor in her absence – he was a competent servant despite being doltish, but goblins such as him were never all that sharp – Akako left to introduce her new familiar to the world.

And when Shinichi realized that this was the first time, save for his escapade after first being poisoned, that he was going out into public as a cat, he was less than enthusiastic. Actually, he mostly felt like hiding under a ton of blankets and hoping that it was nothing but a bad dream.

**Line Break**

Akako strode into the classroom, her feline companion's sharp eyes scanning his new surroundings, just as they had the route from the manor and the path the red-haired witch had taken through the school. Part of it was habit, an observational game from his childhood that had carried over into his career as a freelance detective. Now he was more vigilant than was the norm and – if he had to be honest –it was because of his sudden lifestyle change.

In the event that he should be separated from his magical partner, and he was determined to stick to her side like glue so as to avoid this, Shinichi at least wanted to be able to find a way back to her. He may have been roped into this position as familiar, but at the current time it appeared to be his best option to even just surviving and communicating with others, let alone getting his old body back.

"_So cute!"_

Shinichi crouched low at the piercing cries of adoration, ears pulling back low over his head and tail agitatedly swishing in wide arcs from side-to-side. Usually he welcomed girls to fawn over him, but his new hearing changed their squeals of admiration from ego-boosting and slightly annoying to painful.

Not to mention that they had changed from giggling about how smart and athletic and overall how cool he was, to cooing at him in baby-voices as if he was a small animal. Which he was, in form, but that was beside the point. In any case, his pride was quickly sinking.

Fortunately for Shinichi, Akako was not particularly close with her classmates and refused their requests for permission to pet and even hold him. Some of the girls (and a few of the guys who had wanted to see her "pet") were more persistent, and at these ones Shinichi bared his teeth. The sight of the fangs was enough convincing they had to leave the testy feline alone.

Once they were given space Shinichi straightened up on Akako's shoulder as she took a seat at her desk, exhaling heavily as he already found himself breathing easier. Displeased with all the attention he was getting (now mostly in the form of poorly-hidden glances and whisperings if not blatant staring), he shot the witch a glare. Why had she brought him with her to _school_, of all places? Heck, was that even permitted? He was pretty sure animals weren't allowed in schools or, indeed, most public places.

Seeming to sense the weight of the detective cat's displeased stare on her – and Shinichi would not be surprised at all if she actually could, especially since she'd also proven an uncanny ability at telling what he wished to convey by his mere body language alone – Akako turned her head around to face Shinichi.

"Yes, these things are annoying, but it is important that a witch and their familiar become acquainted. Right now we're just in the process of getting to know each other, but soon you must learn magic and how to navigate various situations in your role as my familiar. I am not letting you grow fat and lazy around the house while I'm at school for most of the day."

Shinichi merely huffed in reply, though his curiosity was piqued at the passing mention that he had an expected role in his position as a witch's familiar.

"Besides, would you rather be alone with Rufleleghid for that long?" The not-cat rapidly shook his head in the negative, lips curling at the mention of the churlish man.

"There you go. Now, off." Akako jerked her shoulder forwards, and Shinichi lost him balance and tumbled onto the desk. Clambering to his feet (turns out cats didn't always land on all fours), he turned around and spat shortly at her. The least she could have done was given him warning!

Akako gave him a hard flick on his forehead once more. The teen-in-cat-form was really getting sick of her doing that. With a 'hmph,' he curled up on one of the corners of the desk with his back to the magical teenager, the tip of his tail flicking. He watched it move, the especially feathery fur that hung from it waving with the movement. It was fascinating in a disconcerting way how much his new body instinctively responded to his mood.

Shinichi's ears drooped. He didn't want to be a cat.

_Just remember, at least you're alive. And if magic is real, then it was very lucky of me to run into a witch like Akako of all nights, _he comforted himself. _If nothing else, be thankful that your new name is much better than it could have been._

He shuddered at the thought that he could have been "Mr. Fuzzy-Cuddles." Were it possible, he would have died just from the mortification that came from almost having been named that.

"Good morning, Akako-chan!" One chipper Nakamori Aoko made her way straight from the door to the classroom witch.

"Nakamori-san, I would have expected you to be here already. And without Kuroba-kun?" Shinichi looked up, watching the two girls interact and taking note of the fact that they were apparently friends. Huh, and here he had thought that the witch was the friendless type.

"Why is it that I must be wherever he is?" The new girl pouted with her arms folded over her chest. The action struck Shinichi as something Ran would do. Interested, he tilted his head as he observed them, eyes widening as he noted just how similar in appearance this Nakamori girl was to Ran. Brush her hair a bit, pull some up into that weird horn that his childhood friend had, and put her in clothes other than Ekoda High's uniform, and she could be Ran's spitting image.

"Huh, Akako-chan, is that a cat?" asked Aoko in a curious tone as she noticed the mass of black fur on her friend's desk. Akako shifted in her seat, allowing the messy-haired girl a better view of Shinichi. Put on the spot, the cat moved to face the newcomer completely, eyes still large with surprise at her resemblance to his friend.

A small, illogical part of Shinichi worried that she was really Ran, and that she had figured out who he was and was going to break every bone in his helpless feline body at any moment . . . he scrunched his face up when he realized how ridiculous he was being; as if Ran would be able to suss his true identity.

"Wow, she . . .?" Aoko trailed off questioningly.

"He," clarified Akako.

"He's gorgeous. What kind of breed is he?" As she asked, Aoko crouched down so that her face was about level with the cat, holding a hand out invitingly at the edge of the desk and softly clucking at Shinichi. The feline detective had, at the compliment, straightened up and lifted his head high into a proud posture.

"I'm not familiar with his breed, but he's not a common stray. After all, he's my familiar."

"Of course, a black cat to go with a witch," Aoko chuckled in a way that made it clear to Shinichi that she didn't actually think that her classmate was a witch. Still beckoning to him, Shinichi decided to humor the girl and rose to his paws. He padded up to Aoko, who beamed that the aloof cat had finally responded positively to her.

Fingers finding their way into his long fur, Shinichi tensed and leaned away from the touch. The girl was unconcerned by this and continued running a hand through his long fur.

"Soft!"

Shinichi snorted his disagreement; soft was a girly thing which he took offense at being called.

"I only just got him last night, but I'm surprised he's so receptive to you, seeing as he has a bad personality." At this remark of Akako's, Shinichi tried voicing a contrary opinion, but all that came out was a meow.

"I guess that makes him a sour puss, then," Aoko joked, and the two girls snickered at it. Lifting a foreleg up, Shinichi smacked himself in the face with a paw. Great, they were making puns at his expense.

"So, where is Kuroba-kun?" Akako steered the other girl back to their original topic.

"Actually, both he and Hakuba-kun somehow ended up glued together yesterday!"

"Really now?" Akako asked before she broke into cackles.

"Yep! I don't know the whole story, but it was something Kaito did. They're still working on breaking free, but the glue is one of Kaito's weird experiments, so it's not budging. Neither wanted to come to school like that, so they're skipping to focus on their issue."

Akako wound down to chortles, a broad smile on her face.

"That's hilarious." Shinichi paid attention to her tone, noting that there seemed to be more to the amusement than just the mere situation that was merited. It sounded as if she was in on some inside joke.

"Oh, that reminds me; Kaito said to tell you that he wants to meet you today after school. He thought you might be able to do something about the glue."

"I probably could," Shinichi scoffed at Akako's considering demeanor, pretty sure that if she was actually a witch then getting rid of some glue would be nothing to her, "But I don't see why I should when it's so funny."

"He said he would only let you see him like that if you fixed him."

"Fine," Akako sighed long-sufferingly.

Aoko stopped petting the feline. Extracting her cellphone after a moment of rummaging through her schoolbag, Aoko sent off a text. She read the swift response aloud.

"Meet at the diner near school."

Akako nodded in agreement, and Aoko texted her consent back to Kaito before returning the device to her bag.

"I'll be there," she said, "and so will Pluto."

Here she reached over to scratch the cat's ears. He looked like he would object, but permitted the contact once initiated. Unconsciously purring, it took Shinichi a moment to realize what he was doing, his fur bristling when it registered.

Dammit, he was not a cat! Rising abruptly to his paws, he crossed the very short distance back to the corner of the desk he had been situated upon before and huffily plopped down.

"Aww. Come to think of it, why did you bring a cat to school?"

"It's important to foster a good bond between us."

"I guess street cats would need more dedication. But won't the teachers get angry? And it's not like you can just bring a cat wherever you go; most places don't allow pets," Aoko pointed out.

Those were all true, but Shinichi frowned at the blue-eyed girl's reasoning all the same. Sure, he didn't necessarily want to go to school, but he was not going to be a house cat! He needed _freedom_, to catch those bastards that did this to him. He was an independent teenager, not some pet to be coddled and sheltered from the world!

Fortunately, Akako was on his side, though for different reasons.

"That's right; I made this last night to get past that issue." Annoyed with herself for forgetting it after the incident that morning with her nonhuman servant, the witch reached down and withdrew something from her sock.

"Pluto." The cat reluctantly gave her his attention, after a quick internal debate that concluded when he figured she could manhandle him again if he wasn't compliant. His eyes landed on the item she held up.

It was made of long and thin paper, scarlet in color (and once again Shinichi marveled at the fact that he retained the ability to see the color spectrum at a human's capability) and folded like origami. On one side of it he could discern "Pluto" written in an elaborate medieval style and a Latin-derived alphabet. She turned it around to the other side, revealing a sentence in the same style, though he could not place it to any language that he knew of.

The paper band came nearer, and he stiffened as it drew around his neck. The two ends met, the material hissing as it brushed against itself, and seemed to seal into an unbroken loop.

"There." Akako seemed satisfied with the results as she freed the furs that had gotten trapped beneath the handmade collar, brushing them back in place until barely any of the bright paper could be seen, though what wasn't covered of the collar made a striking contrast against his jet fur. "It has a minor warding spell that will help prevent people from thinking of removing you from a place."

Shinichi tugged at the collar with a forepaw, and found to his relief that it could actually stretch quite a bit. It would be easy enough to remove by himself if he wanted to, and could probably fit even a neck of his human form's circumference. He moved his neck back and forth, trying to adjust to the unfamiliar sensation and reasoning with himself that it was just like a bowtie.

He was just about to pull the thing off (because really, a _collar, _complete with his pseudonym on the front) when the teacher walked in and called the class to order. He froze as their eyes fell upon him, only relaxing once they looked away with comment and started calling roll. The spell apparently worked.

The once-human sighed. Well, it was probably better than being mistaken as a stray and taken to the pound, should he be intercepted when outdoors.

**Line Break**

It was with relief on Shinichi's part that he finally left school riding once more on Akako's shoulder, who was preoccupied speaking with Aoko at her side as they headed for the diner to meet Kaito and Saguru. He closed his eyes as the cool outdoor air whispered through his fur, relishing the freedom from the comparatively stuffy classroom.

The hours spent there had felt as if boredom had been slowly killing him, and the only consolation was that he probably wouldn't be behind in his classes when he returned to his original body. Not that he was worried about that in the first place, since he had never been challenged in school.

Shinichi had also quickly discovered through his observations that Akako was pretty isolated despite the clear (and downright creepy and unnatural, and he was pretty sure magic was playing a part) admiration every boy had for her. Though she preened in the attention, she had not returned it, and there seemed to be a mutual lack of acknowledgment between the witch and her female classmates.

Except for Aoko, that was. Akako and she were friends, if their interactions were to go by, and the other girl had in fact been the only person the red-haired girl had allowed to come close enough to Shinichi to pet. The detective was pleased with this, since he didn't particularly want a bunch of strangers running their grubby hands all over him, but at the same time it sent a shudder down his spine. Shinichi hoped Akako didn't see him as a thing to be possessive of – he did not need a complication like that being thrown in.

And that brought him to another issue: a lack of communication. He really needed to learn how to speak as a cat (though his brain still ground to a halt at the mental image of a talking cat) so that he could discuss with Akako the terms of their partnership. He wasn't going to settle for being a minion.

In any case, not even a full day into being a cat and it was starting to get to Shinichi. While not one to be chummy, he wasn't averse to social interaction; on the contrary, it was crucial to his line of work and he held dear the few people he was close to.

Now he was separated from them, and not even by distance – Ekoda wasn't far from Beika at all, but it might as well have been the USA for what it was worth. He had practically lost his entire life in all but name, and he unsheathed his claws at this thought, tail swishing across the span of Akako's shoulders. The men who did this to him wouldn't get away with it, not with the Heisei Holmes resolved to make them pay.

At a look from Akako he took a deep breath, stilling his tail and forcing his claws back.

Now he didn't even have the luxury of the option of communicating with others. The sudden loss of his independence was also a painful, rankling blow.

It was in this downcast mood that he entered the diner with Akako, who took nary a second to head for one of the red-cushioned booths in an out of the way corner of the establishment.

"Kuroba-kun, Hakuba-san."

The two figures on one side of the booth, huddled close together with hats drawn low over their faces, looked up at the approaching witch as she addressed them by their respective names. Kaito smiled brightly at her, while the other looked away with a quiet moan and a red face that he covered with a hand.

"Koizumi-kun!" greeted Kaito – the one smiling – and, standing up abruptly, elicited a start from Saguru. The latter pinwheeled his arms as he was yanked to his feet, failing to gain balance and crashing into the other teen. They ended up collapsing to the black and white checkered floor with a thud. The cause of this was clearly the toxic green substance sticking the duo together, mostly at their hands and heads. Whatever it was, it was evidently inflexible despite its gooey appearance and gave its captives little space from one another.

Were it an anime, and if Shinichi wasn't in a form that only had sweat glands in his paws, he would have sweat-dropped at the antics of the two. As it was, he wasn't very impressed. The smiling one – well, he wasn't smiling anymore – seemed rash and the other incapable of adjusting, if this first demonstration was anything to go by.

"Hakuba-kun, get off!" Kaito attempted to push the blond detective away by his head, only for the action to carry to his own courtesy of the adhesive.

"Kuroba-kun, use your brain for one moment and stop so that I can get up," Saguru ground out through gritted teeth. The two struggled for a while longer trying to get up without the other impeding them, eventually succeeding. No thanks to Akako, who watched them with a smirk. Kaito's hat had been knocked off in the matter, and Shinichi unconsciously tightened his grip on the witch's shoulder as he stared with astonishment, hardly believing his eyes. The guy could pass off as his twin! Well, not while he was a cat, because then that would just be weird. But make the eyes blue, groom his hair, and this Kuroba fellow could be a veritable clone of him!

Something in Shinichi's stomach gave a flip, and he had to swallow as a sudden emotion constricted his throat. It wasn't fair – he gets turned into a cat, and all the while this guy gets to walk around wearing his face.

"As you can see, this is our problem. Kuroba-kun said you could fix it for us, Koizumi-san?" the half-Brit inquired wearily as he did his best to dust off his disheveled suit with his hands, looking anywhere except at the red-eyed girl.

"Yes, I–" she didn't finish, as Kaito distracted her with an obtrusive 'psst.'

"Koizumi-kun!" he hissed, as if furtiveness was demanded at the moment.

"What?"

"Did you know that there's a cat on your shoulder?" the teen thief pointed out.

It was truly a most astute observation.

Saguru, taken aback by the remark, got over his embarrassment and directed his attention to the witch, eyes widening as he noticed the cat for the first time. Akako folded her arms and rolled her eyes, deadpanning at the only man to have escaped her magical charm.

"No, Kuroba-kun, I definitely did not know that a cat has been sitting on my shoulder for who knows how long."

Kaito grinned in response.

"So it's your pet! What's its name?" Shinichi narrowed his eyes at his 'clone' – he was neither a pet nor an it!

"Actually, he's my familiar, and his name is Pluto."

"Eh, like the planet?"

Saguru, who was starting to feel left out of the conversation (having little familiarity with Akako's company), interjected at that moment,

"Actually, Pluto isn't a planet; it's a dwarf planet."

"Pluto is a planet, no matter what those scientists say!" Kaito denied vehemently. Saguru just sighed and decided not to argue, figuring that his rival was just trying to get a rise out of him.

"As I was saying, I can fix your issue." As Akako spoke, Kaito was leaning forward, using his arm that wasn't connected to Saguru's to make an inquisitive prod at the black cat with his face close to the feline's own. Shinichi tilted his head to the side, watching as Kaito mimicked the action.

This messy-haired guy's face was starting to piss him off.

A heartbeat later, Kaito recoiled back and dragged Saguru down with him, falling heavily upon their backs. The former was clutching at his face and rocking from side to side, bringing the British detective along.

Akako looked to Shinichi, who – save for a smug gleam in his eyes – was watching the two teen boys indifferently.

"Your cat is evil! It scratched me!" Kaito cried out after he stopped putting a fuss, removing his hands from his face to glare at Pluto. Long furrows, blood already welling, crossed it, courtesy of the cat that was coolly gazing down at him.

"He's a cat, Kuroba-kun; you probably just upset him," Akako stated without sympathy, though she quirked a corner of her lips into a quick smile at her familiar.

"I'm telling you, he's evil!"

"Kuroba-kun, shut. Up. I highly doubt a cat is capable of any such emotion," Saguru forced himself to take deep breaths, picking himself and Kaito up off the ground.

"Please, Koizumi-san, I hate to seem rude, but please fix this?" the blond sighed.

"Of course, though I can't right now. I'll need to call my servant." Akako pulled out her cellphone, gaining a surprised look from Shinichi. Even though she looked somewhat normal (though her hair and eyes didn't help, along with that strange, uncanny presence she just seemed to naturally exude) in a high school uniform, the witch still didn't strike him as anyone to use modern technology. Maybe it was what he had seen of her house, or perhaps magic and technology just didn't seem like they could coexist.

"Thank you." Saguru was visibly relieved. Kaito was preoccupied with checking his reflection in a handheld mirror he had pulled from somewhere.

And that was when the more occupied parts of the diner became lively as the alarming news that a man had just died in their midst was loudly spread for all to hear.

Before Akako could even blink, the cat on her shoulder was gone, running across the vinyl floor to the scene of death.

End Chapter Two

**A/N: Sorry, transition chapter is transition chapter. Some parts of this were really awkward to write. (I also wasn't pleased with the overall quality, so I've been holding this chapter from you guys for months. Sorry.)**

**There are three main reasons as to why I had Akako name Shinichi 'Pluto.' If you can correctly figure out all of them . . . I dunno, you get to give me a prompt for a oneshot? I don't think Akako's servant has a name in canon, so I gave him a really stupid one. Other people will probably be calling him 'Jeeves' or something. I was really tempted to have her name him 'Mr. Fuzzy-Cuddles,' seriously considering it, or maybe even 'Horatio.'**

**Also, I replaced chapter fourteen of Collection with a drabble based off of this story.**


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